COUNTING HEADS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 16 January 1926, Page 6

COUNTING HEADS.

CENSUS DUE TO HE TAKEN TUTS YEAR. EXUMT3H ATI.O'NS IN EARLY DAYS. Al ANUSCH IFT KKUORDS. Householders throughout New Zealand will have an onerous task to pcrI'ci'm in a Tew months’ time, the filling in of a cousins paper. Just- when tlie next census will he taken has not been announced, but as the last one was in 11)21 and the law requires an enumeration every five years, _ the work must he carried out again in 1926. 'The qninqennial period was chosen in DCS I as a convenient one, being half a decade, and since that year it lias been strictly adhered to. lb was adopted some years ago by the British Elm pi re Statistical Conference and in 1921 censuses were taken within a few months of each other by (he Government of all the principal countries. 1 1< the compilation of statistics within and without the scope of the census, New Zealand has a very good record. In the first place, says it he Glficial Year Book, the comparative shorlnosNi of the interval between census enumerations mitigates the danger of serious iiitercensal error. Secondly owing to the high standard of intelligence of the population and to the political, social and geographical conditions prevailing in the .Dominion, the data compiled as the result of the census are both remarkably nee I rout error ami unusually complete. 'The history of the cenous in New Zealand dates hacks to the days before responsible Government was established; indeed, some crude form of census taking appears to have been brought into operation in the early forties, shortly after the proclamation of British sovereignty over the islands of New Zealand. Manuscript records of the population of different settlements were compiled by resident magistrates from 1842 to 1852. The returns, however, were far from adequate because the settlements were few in number and limited in area, and settlers, whalers and other persons living in remote places were not enumerated. Various difficulties also occurred. For example, the population of Nelson in 1842 was estimated at 2500, with a footnote stating that tiie actual figures were unobtainable, as the resident magistrate had been killed by Maoris, doubtless, in the AVairau massacre.

What is usually regarded as the first general census of New Zealand was made in December, 1851, being the first taken by law. This was more comprehensive than earlier enumerations. which contained only the number of persons, male and female, separately, in each settlement. .Particulars of the sex, age, and degree of education of each person were now required, with information concerning the number of scholars at day and Sablbath schools. Particulars of live stock and crops were also obtained. The population. according to this census, was 28,707. In conformity with an ordinance of 1851 censuses should have been taken in 1854 and 1857. The responsibility for carrying out the work rested on the provincial councils, which had been constituted in 1858. and for isome unexplained reason all ol them did not comply ’i with tlnf linw. Provincial enumerations were made in Auckland. Wellington, (lanteibnry. Nelson. Taranaki, and Otago, at various dates, hutno return for the whole country could be compiled. In 1858 the procedure was put upon a new footing by the passing of a Census Act. which contemplated triennial censuses, the first of which was taken in the same year. After 1858 the scope of; the census was gradually extended, and the procedure in enumeration was improved in various ways. A most important change was made in 1010. when the Census and f t:atishins Act ‘separated the offices of .Registrar-General and Government Statistician. and enabled the census and statistics office to be set up.